Bear River Habitat Trail, 2023
Plumas Lake’s story
Plumas Lake in pictures
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2023 and 3 maps from 1911 on.
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Plumas LakeCA
The town, home to 9,418 people, lies in California.
1 bordering townMap →
Photo: CommanderCold · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
9,418
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$555K
Census ACS
Household income
$120K
median
Median age
34.8
years
Jobs based here
264
A commuter town
TownGrade
C
#359 of 841 in CA
Is Plumas Lake a good place to live?
Strong in places, weak in others. Cost of living is its weak spot: the typical home is worth about $555K, 7.1 years of the Yuba City metro’s $78K median household income. It also trails on walkability. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 90% of U.S. towns. Its strongest is health: it is healthier than 81% of U.S. towns. The overall grade comes out at C, better than nearly a third of U.S. towns. In the ranking it comes 359th of 841 in California. Only 100 of California’s 1,064 towns score higher on the outdoors.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · USGS PAD-US.
A growing town
Plumas Lake has grown 39% from 2010 to 2020
5,853 counted in 2010 and 8,126 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Plumas Lake grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Plumas Lake is from typical.
Cost of livingGraded on home prices against local incomesD−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.9 of 20; 1.4% of households have no car; 0.2% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →HealthAdventist Health and Rideout 11.2 miles awayA−Open →Hazard riskInland flooding tops the listC−Open →Jobs & income$120K median household incomeB+Open →SchoolsSchools do better than mostB+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Plumas Lake: who provides what
Plumas Lake is unincorporated, so Yuba County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterPlumas Lake water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet9 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesYuba CountyYuba County provides services here
SchoolsWheatland Union High School DistrictPlumas Lake Elementary School District2 districts serve Plumas Lake; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereYuba County ClerkYuba County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code9596195961 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Plumas Lake.
Plumas Lake has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns, sends most of its workers to Sacramento and beyond and owes part of its health edge to its incomes.
OutdoorsA+
Plumas Lake keeps 13.1% of its land conserved
21 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. In Plumas Lake, the trail density is 1.7 miles per square mile, above both California’s towns (1.0) and U.S. towns (0.4).
#194for trails in CA
13.1%
conserved · 1,019 of 7,756 acres
21 mi
of trails · 1.7 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Eufay Wood Sr. Memorial Park | 0.9 mi | 11 |
| 2. Riverside Meadows Park | 0.4 mi | 5 |
| 3. Veterans Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
SchoolsB+
Public schools in Plumas Lake beat 68% of California districts
One of its 3 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. Its public schools are run by the Plumas Lake Elementary school district.
68%of CA districts it outscoresB+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cobblestone ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 590 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
HealthA−
For health, Plumas Lake earns an A−
Against the 5,694 U.S. towns with household incomes like Plumas Lake’s, it is healthier than 58%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
17% of Plumas Lake adults say their health is fair or poor. Among adults in the town, 25% have high blood pressure, against 31% in California’s towns and 35% across U.S. towns. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Plumas Lake is ahead of California on 13 and behind on 2.
81%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Plumas Lake | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 69% | 72% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 31% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8% | 12% | 12% |
32 measures vs. California
13 better17 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Plumas Lake | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 3.8% | 5.6% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 8% | 11.7% |
| More binge drinkers | 19.3% | 15.3% |
Adventist Health and Rideout
11.2 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: dental, mental health
71st
percentile among CA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
Most of Plumas Lake’s workers leave town for work
Plumas Lake has 264 jobs for its 3,934 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 42.7 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
Half the trips to work are shorter than 29 miles. Plumas Lake had 264 jobs in 2023, up 135 from 2013. Only 1% of working residents stay in Plumas Lake for work; the rest commute out. Its average commute is 43 minutes.
1%work in town
| Plumas Lake | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 43 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $120,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.5% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 6.6% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Plumas Lake1%
Sacramento21%
Roseville7%
Yuba City6%
Marysville4%
29 mi
median commute distance
264
jobs based in Plumas Lake
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 10% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
Plumas Lake faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected losses in Plumas Lake break down as 61% from inland flooding and 26% from drought. FEMA expects more storm and flood damage in the town than in 73% of U.S. communities. Also worth knowing: households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 2017.
73risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingDroughtEarthquakes
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Expect mild winters and hot summers in Plumas Lake
July afternoons average 96.6°, hotter than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 39.1°.
Plumas Lake’s midsummer high is 97°F. Snow almost never falls.
97°summer high
| Plumas Lake | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 97°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 39°F | 41°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter40–58°
Spring49–74°
Summer61–94°
Fall51–79°
Nov 30
typical first frost
Feb 11
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
97°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade D−
The median home in Plumas Lake sells for about $515K
100% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 55.3% across California.
On the market in Plumas Lake: a median 43 days to sell. For Plumas Lake, the going rate for rent is $2,302 a month. In Plumas Lake, 92% of households are owner-occupiers.
$515Kmedian sale price
| Plumas Lake | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 92% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $2,302 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
Market temperature
43
days on market
100%
sale-to-list price
18
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Plumas Lake
17pages on Plumas Lake
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Plumas Lake
About 5 of every 100 Plumas Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Get outside
21 miles of trails in Plumas Lake
13.1% of the town is conserved land, across 10 parks and preserves.
Trails © OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
About Plumas Lake
Census-designated place in California, United States
Plumas Lake is a master-planned exurb and census-designated place in Yuba County, California, United States. It is located 30 miles (48 km) north of Sacramento and 10 miles (16 km) south of Marysville off California State Route 70. Its population was 8,126 at the 2020 census. Plumas Lake was first conceived in 1993 as a means to guide development along the Feather and Bear Rivers. Construction began in 2003 and at full build-out the community is expected to have roughly 12,000 homes and 36,000 residents.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 8.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 46 ft
Plumas Lake’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Plumas Lake.
How the neighbors grade
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plumas Lake | #359 | C | D− | — | B+ | A− |
| Rio Oso | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Plumas Lake reports no FBI crime data of its own. Rio Oso isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Plumas Lake with a neighbor →
Questions about Plumas Lake
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Plumas Lake, CA a good place to live?
Plumas Lake grades C overall, better than 32% of U.S. towns and #359 of 841 in California. It grades A− for health and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Plumas Lake, CA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $555,000, 27% below the California typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.